Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It's also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

Working Together for the Future of Parks

At the National Park Foundation (NPF), we’re celebrating Earth Day the best way we know how: by working to protect what matters most. In 2021, we provided $36.1 million in funding to over 220 parks and partners. In doing so, we’ve connected people to the natural, historical, and cultural treasures of our parks, as well as protected the parks’ lands, waters, and diverse ecosystems.

Habitat Restoration & Protection of Animals Ecosystems

From the caribou in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve to herons along the Mississippi River, our parks are home to a wide variety of native wildlife. Over time, some habitats and ecosystems have been disrupted by environmental and human impacts.

Protecting the Landscapes and Wildlife of Our National Parks

America’s national parks protect a diverse range of landscapes: beaches, mountains, wetlands, prairies, sandy dunes, forests, lakeshores, and more. They make up some 85 million acres in total and are home to some of the most stunning native wildlife and natural habitats in the world.

Touring the Park on the Grand Loop

The best way to tour Yellowstone National Park is by driving around the Grand Loop, a 142-mile-long road that curves around in a figure-eight past the park's most striking natural features. At each attraction, well-maintained boardwalks, walkways and hiking trails offer close-up views of the main features, as well as breathtaking viewpoints, and many of the paths are wheelchair friendly.

Old Faithful

One of the star attractions of Yellowstone, the geyser known as Old Faithful is named for the regularity with which it erupts, shooting columns of water high up into the air. Today, witnessing this incredible sight is one of the most popular things to do in Yellowstone, though eruption intervals are not quite as regular as in the past. They now vary from 35 minutes to 120 minutes, with an average interval of about 92 minutes.

Upper Geyser Basin and Morning Glory Pool

Named for its location between the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, Midway Geyser Basin boasts two of the park's biggest geothermal features. The mighty crater of the Excelsior Geyser discharges 55 gallons of hot water per second into the Firehole River. Nearby is the 370-foot-wide stunning Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the finest and biggest hot springs in the park.